TEHRAN – The government of Iran has proposed visa waivers as well as group visas to facilitate traveling between SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) member countries.
In this regard, Iran’s Deputy Tourism Minister Ali-Asghar Shalbafian said the country has waived visa requirements for 64 percent of SCO member countries, adding that more than half of the world’s population can visit Iran without a visa.
The official also highlighted the diversity of cultural, historical, and geographical attractions within the SCO member countries, underscoring the role of tourism in the global economy and employment opportunities.
To spur tourism among the SCO member countries, Shalbafian suggested mutually waiving visa requirements and creating a special tourism section on the SCO website, Tehran Times reported.
The Iranian official also suggested creating a network of tour operators in the SCO member countries to manage and promote tourism exchanges backed by bilateral and multilateral agreements.
It is to be highlighted that the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is a permanent intergovernmental international organization established in 2001 in Shanghai by the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
It is a statute that stipulates the goals, principles, structure, and major areas of activities of the organization. Currently, the SCO has 9 member states — the Republic of India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the People’s Republic of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, and the Republic of Uzbekistan.
